Chapter 12 (of 20) Ezra Pound and His Bel Esprit
Chapter 1 (of 20), A Good Café on the Place St-Michael, will take you back in time to the story that began my French culinary experiences while reading A Moveable Feast, chapter by chapter. From there, each chapter will take you to the next chapter and culinary experience.
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” Ernest Hemingway.
Chapter 12 (of 20) Ezra Pound and His Bel Esprit accompanied by a Croque Madame at Côte, Hay’s Galleria, London Bridge.
Notes From Chapter 12: Ezra Pound and His Bel Esprit
A WorkLife Book Club For One
Notes on Contrast and Sense of Place
Ezra Pound was always a good friend, and he was always doing things for people. The studio where he lived with his wife Dorothy on the rue Notre-Dames-de-Champs was as poor as Gertrude Stein’s studio was rich.
These opening sentences to the chapter served as a continuation of the masterclass in writing that began for me in the last chapter—a masterclass in how to use contrast to give a sense of place.
Previous chapters have helped me work through feelings, emotions and reactions to everyday happening in my WorkLife. They have also helped connect and reinforce learning that I’m experiencing as I go about my daily WorkLife reading books and stories and listening to podcasts.
Notes on Self-Awareness and Self-Directed Learning
His own writing, when he would hit it right, was so perfect, and he was so sincere in his mistakes and so enamored of his errors.
I love learning about people’s self-awareness and how they self-direct their learning. In this instance how Ezra learnt as much through what didn’t work, or perhaps even more, than through what did work. I, too, embrace the practice of self-awareness and self-directed learning in my WorkLife. I, too, learn as much, or perhaps more, from what doesn’t work.
Notes on Observation and Sense of Character
I watched Lewis carefully without seeming to look at him. I do not think I had ever seen a nastier-looking man. Some people show evil as a great race horse shows breeding. They have the dignity of a hard chancre. Lewis did not show evil; he just looked nasty.
I love learning about people’s power of observation. I believe it’s a critical skill in everyone’s WorkLife, and perhaps more so for artists – Hemingway as a writer, performing artists in developing their craft in stepping into a character, and visual artists in capturing their subject matter – person, place or thing.
These sentences were also a masterclass for me as a writer in how to use observation to give a sense of character.
Notes on Bel Esprit
Words of Wisdom
Either you had Bel Esprit or you did not have it. If you had it you would subscribe to get the Major out of the bank. If you didn’t it was too bad.
Hemingway was talking about Ezra’s generosity and how he loved to help artists that he believed in and how he would help anyone, whether he believed in them or not, if they were in trouble. The Major was T.S. Elliott. The Bel Esprit ‘Mission’ was to get him out of his dead-end job in the bank because he had insufficient time and bad hours to function as a poet. Hemingway was also full of Bel Esprit in making this happen.
I loved learning that both Ezra and Hemingway were full of Bel Esprit because I love people with this attribute, one of whom I believe I am.
Epilogue
I’m not sure when I’ll read the next chapter of A Moveable Feast over a glass and a plate.
It most likely will be another spontaneous happening. It may take a little planning to keep the French theme going, or as I walk and explore and discover, it may not. …
The Continuing Story …
I can now share where Chapter 13 (of 20)… A Strange Enough Ending took me …
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Today I enjoyed a Croque Madame at Côte, Hay’s Galleria, London Bridge.
Se souvenir de toi, Norma.
#FunFact1 The French approach to eating well is rooted in the concept of “terroir” – showing respect for the earth and the things it gives us. We only work with farmers and producers who share this mindset, ensuring we can offer you the best-tasting seasonal produce. Source Cote UK.
#FunFact2 Hay’s Galleria was at the centre of the trade and shipping port, most famous for its tea imports, until it was damaged during WW2. To mark its rebirth in 1987, a rivet-covered bronze moving sculpture, with the face of a man and the body of an industrial-age ship, named The Navigators, was installed. Source Hay’s Galleria.
#FunFact3 Operation London Bridge was the funeral plan for Queen Elizabeth II. The phrase “London Bridge is down” was used to communicate the death of the Queen to the prime minister, and key personnel setting the plan in motion. Source Wikipedia
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School of WorkLife helps you self-direct your WorkLife learning through resources that have been created to help you to take ownership of your learning in your own space and in your own time.
What is Self Directed Learning?
Self-Directed Learning is when an individual is motivated to take the initiative and responsibility on decisions related to their own learning. It is a series of independent actions and judgements free from external control and constraint.
Resources to Help You Self-Direct Your Learning
You may want to self-direct your learning by starting your WorkLife Book Club For One, For Two, or for more people. Guidelines for Starting and Running Your WorkLife Book Club will help you do that.
You may find the books below from The School of WorkLife Book Series helpful in meeting your learning needs as a self directed learner. Tap the book title to see a preview of what’s inside each book.
How To Use Your Purpose To Help Others
How To Embrace The Superpower of Self-Awareness
How To Fine-Tune The Superpower of Observation
You can view the complete collection here: The School of WorkLife Book Series.
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Founder of School of WorkLife, Carmel O’ Reilly is a learning practitioner and writer. She creates resources to help people self-direct their WorkLife learning. These include a Collection of Books which originated from her first book, Your WorkLife Your Way and a Learn Through Reading Series of Case Studies. which originated from her latest book WorkLife Book Club.
That’s the power of writing (and reading, which is an integral part of the craft for writers), it helps you find, develop and tell the right story at the right time in all WorkLife situations – in day-to-day communication: WorkLife and feedback conversations, presentations, talks, and negotiations, at interviews, and when socialising and networking in building and maintaining good relationships. The practice of writing helps you to tell the stories that express who you are in an interesting and engaging way.